THE PERSONALITY: The man behind the wine at La Montecchia

Mauro Meneghetti:
wine, love at first sip

by Antonio Di Lorenzo

He witnessed the birth of La Montecchia and he has seen it grow. Mauro Meneghetti, a 38-year-old sommelier, has spent the last sixteen years working in the dining room of our restaurant in Selvazzano. However, prior to discovering wine, Mauro's interest was food.

A native of Padua, Mauro graduated from the Pietro d'Abano hotel school in nearby Abano before getting a job in the kitchen at Le Calandre nearly twenty years ago. Mauro worked alongside Rita Chimetto, the former chef at Le Calandre before trading in his chef whites for a tastevin. When a server job became available at the restaurant, Mauro made the life-changing decision to move to the front of the house. “Working with Raffaele, I discovered the existence of good wine. I became fascinated by it and began studying and attending wine classes.”

On March 15th, Mauro will be celebrating the sixteenth anniversary of the Alajmo family's presence at La Montecchia. Although the Ides of March brought misfortune to Julius Cesar, at La Montecchia it is a day to celebrate: “We started off with passion and slowly turned this golf club lounge into a Michelin star restaurant.” Today, Mauro Meneghetti is Ermino Alajmo's right hand man. 
And what has he learned in this past sixteen years might you ask? “I have learned to give it my all every single day because everyday brings new challenges. The restaurant has developed with the Alajmo philosophy, however the La Montecchia has remained more of a family restaurant than Le Calandre.”
And what has been Mauro's winning formula? “Wine by the glass. People were opposed to the idea at the beginning, but it has since proved to be very successful. It helps to educate customers and allows us to turn over almost the entire cellar (in one year we sold almost all 450 bottles). It is a learning tool for me as well.” And according to Mauro, “drinking by the glass allows you to taste excellent wines without worrying about finishing a bottle.”

Mauro Meneghetti has always been an active promoter of local wines from the Colli Euganei. “People have discovered, and come to appreciate, these wines thanks to our restaurant,” says Mauro. “This has given me a huge feeling of satisfaction over the past sixteen years.”

Do you believe it is possible to fall in love with a wine on first sip? “Of course. I immediately fell for Riesling and Malvasia when it comes to whites and pinot nero when it comes to reds.”

And on a personal note, Mauro has become a competitive horseman during the past twelve years. His specialty is the obstacle course, however, for Mauro, “a good wine will always be better than a good ride.”  (a. d. l.)